Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1998 Ford Expedition owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owned a 1998 Ford Expedition. While the vehicle was parked, the engine caught fire. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. The vehicle was deemed destroyed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. A police report was not filed. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000.
Went to store, came out battery dead, car wouldn't start. Had not left lights or any accessories on. Got a jump, drove to auto parts store. They checked alternator and battery and said battery dead, needed an overnight charge. Let them charge battery, put back in car, horn started blowing and would not stop despite my using both the key and key fob. Horn blew for 5 hours before I found out how to disconnect from google. Got horn to stop, and car wouldn't start. Ford dealer said anti-theft system had to be reprogrammed at cost of $250 plus tow to dealer. I never armed the system and it should not have shut my truck down and prevented me from driving it. I don't have $250 and then I found out the repair is only $100 at most. …
Tl contact owns a 1998 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that the vehicle caught fire while parked in the driveway. The fire spread from the instrument panel to the radiator and finally to the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was destroyed. The fire department stated that the fire May have been caused by an electrical source from the engine. The police and fire departments filed a report. The dealer and manufacturer have not been notified. The purchase date was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 220,000.
I have a Ford 1998 Expedition, eddie bauer edition. It has a 5.4 liter engine with aluminum heads. Three times I've had a helicoil blown out leaving me stranded. Now a spark plug has blown out breaking two coils. Ford has made this vehicle for years with this engine. All with the same problems of components blowing out of the engine. I feel it is Ford's responsibility to start a recall and fix this defect.
#2 spark plug blew out of 5.4l 2 v v8. Was on highway at time. Had to immediately pull over and disconnect fuel and spark for that cylinder. Was over 100km from home, couldnt afford to tow veicle so I had to drive it the remainder of the distance home. Inspected today, there is no threads left. Now need to drill and tap head, install helicoil/timesert and hope for the best.
After parking in the driveway, went to a neighbors house, and consumer heard the alarm going off. Rushed to see what was going on . Consumer noticed the vehicle was on fire. The fire completely consumed the vehicle. Also, the house caught on fire. The fire investigators report determined part failure in the engine department. The vehicle was totaled.
5.4l gas engine. Spark plugs have blown out of 2 different cylinders in 2 months. I have found only that this is a known issue for several models with this engine including the f-150. Ford had done nothing to address this faulty engine design. Both times my plugs blew out I was accelerating from a stop while turning left.
Takata recall: the spark plugs have blown out of the engine block. They have been repaired 3 times. Each time, it smells of an electrical line is burning, the instrument cluster goes erratic and they zeros out and doesn't move. This has happened while driving on city and highways.
Tl contact owns a 1998 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that the engine caught fire while the vehicle was parked. The vehicle was destroyed. The purchase date was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 140,000.
Vehicle caught fire while parked in the driveway. Owner contacted the fire department. Owner says that there was no modifications made to the engine. Vehicle was perfectly fine prior to the fire. Provide further details.
NHTSA investigations
Spark plug ejection from cylinder head
On September 6, 2005, odi received a petition requesting that the agency investigate allegations of engine spark plug ejection in certain model year 1997 through 2004 Ford vehicles with triton v-8 and v-10 engines.odi received a total of 474 non-duplicative complaints on the subject vehicles where the complainant, or the dealer repairing the vehicle, reported that a spark plug detached from the cylinder and/or…
Engine complaints in other Expedition years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 1998 Ford Expedition?
NHTSA has 143 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 1998 Ford Expedition, 17% of the model year's 836 complaints. The component named most often is engine (58 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1998 Ford Expedition engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 1998 Ford Expedition, though it has 5 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1998 Ford Expedition engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 115,000 miles, and 1% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 9 fires and 1 injury to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.